HAWKS GET THEIR WISH--HOME ICE

Robert MarkusCHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Blackhawks did the politically correct thing, saying they didn't care who they played in the second round of the playoffs, but it was apparent they were rooting hard for San Jose to beat Calgary and give them home-ice advantage against Vancouver.

Their wish was granted.

"For everyone who said the regular season doesn't mean anything," said Chris Chelios, "tonight we had the crowd going. Anybody who says this building is dead is dead wrong. They were jumping tonight."

"Obviously you'd like to open at home," said Bernie Nicholls. "But Vancouver is a team right now that is as good as there is in this division."

The Hawks were 4-0 vs. Vancouver and 1-2-1 against Calgary in the regular season.

Moving up: Denis Savard's three points gave him 130 playoff points as a Blackhawk and moved him past Bobby Hull into second place on the team's all-time list. The leader is Stan Mikita with 150. Savard ended up with eight points in the series against Toronto to tie Nicholls for the club lead.

Tough job: The toughest part may be over for the Blackhawks, according to coach Darryl Sutter.

"It doesn't matter who you play in the first round," said Sutter, "your first round is always the toughest. That's where you find most of your upsets. A lot of times before a team gets going they're out of it. The teams that are left feel good now because they've won a round."

"There's just so much pressure in the first one," said Nicholls. "Sometimes guys don't know how to react to it."